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Doctor Bashir, I Presume (episode)
Doctor Lewis Zimmerman arrives on DS9 to use Bashir as the model for his new Longterm Medical Hologram, but his plans could unveil a dark secret which Bashir has carried since childhood. Summary Past: Julian Bashir's life consists of two drastically different time periods - before age seven and after. As a young child, while the other children were learning how to use a computer, Bashir was still learning how to read. At age seven, Bashir's parents made a fateful decision that would change Julian's life. Present: Doctor Lewis Zimmerman, Director of Holographic Imaging and Programming at Jupiter Station, arrives on DS9. He was the designer and template for the innovative Emergency Medical Hologram (EMH). He hopes to use Doctor Bashir as the basis for the new Long-term Medical Holographic program (LMH), designed to replace medical staff on distant or isolated outposts. Zimmerman needs to add more "bedside manner" to his original EMH in order to make this new hologram as realistic as possible, so he conducts a series of interviews with everyone who knows Bashir. It becomes apparent that Doctor Zimmerman is very thorough, so Bashir asks, in passing, that Zimmerman not interview Bashir's parents as the three are estranged from each other. Zimmerman says nothing, which Bashir interprets as agreement. However, Zimmerman has Dr. Bashir's parents, Richard and Amsha, brought to Deep Space Nine, much to Bashir's obvious chagrin. Bashir is not pleased to see them and expresses his displeasure to Dr. Zimmerman, who responds that a complete profile is necessary. The Bashirs have fallen out over a secret about Julian's past and over-expectant pressure that they placed upon him during his youth. Richard Bashir has a long history of starts and stops, constantly changing jobs, never completing a project. His current occupation is designing public parks on Earth. Julian is scornful of his father's consistent lack of focus or satisfaction, and his unwillingness to take responsibility for his actions. The elder Bashirs defend themselves, saying they did the best they could. Julian leaves the room, dissatisfied. Remorseful, Richard goes to the holographic lab to apologize. Richard pledges to Julian, standing in befuddled silence, that he will never reveal Julian's genetically engineered past, that he is proud of what Julian has become. It turns out that Richard unknowingly apologized to the Long-term Medical Holographic program. Richard inadvertently gave away their dark secret to Chief O'Brien and Zimmerman, who were in the back room. Zimmerman promptly reports this revelation to Captain Sisko. Dr. Bashir confronts his parents after this incident. It is revealed that when Julian was young, his parents perceived his gross deficits as defects. So, they went outside of the Federation (and its laws) to have their child genetically engineered so that he would be able to keep up with his peers. Bashir ended up not only as bright as his classmates, but brighter, fitter, stronger and faster as well, thus beginning his second life. But now that second life would end, because of Federation laws banning genetic engineering. Dr. Bashir decides that resigning his commission would prevent an inquiry, thus protecting his family and himself from serious repercussions. But before Julian can act, Richard visits Sisko. Taking responsibility for his past misdeeds, Bashir's father agrees to go to prison so that Bashir can keep his position within Starfleet, aboard Deep Space Nine. The admiral presiding over the matter (via holoprojector) explains why genetic engineering is outlawed within the Federation; because 'for every Julian Bashir that can be created, there's a Khan Singh waiting in the wings'. Memorables Quotes "He needs a women with body '''and' brains''". "I have brains." "Sure you do, honey. That's why I hired you. Now eat up and then take those brains back to the dabo wheel where the customers can get a good long look at them." : - Quark and Leeta "Note, contact subject's parents immediately." : - Lewis Zimmerman, just after Bashir asks him to not contact his parents "Wow, think of it Julian. If this thing works you will be able to irritate hundreds of people you never even met." : - O'Brien, about the creation of the Long-term Medical Holographic program "What do you want me to do?" "Just stand there and look like a doctor... if you can." : - Bashir and Lewis Zimmerman, when Zimmerman is about to download the optical parameters for the program "Beginning data transferral." "Data transferral?! Am I being replaced?" "You're being supplemented by a new long term program." "By him!?" "There, transfer complete." "Please state the nature of the medical emergency." "Oh, that's original! He doesn’t even look old enough to be a doctor!" "If you want my advice, you should delete this program. Now that I'm here, why would you want archaic piece of software like him?" "Archaic!?" "We can discuss this at a later time." : - Lewis Zimmerman, EMH, and Long-term Medical Holographic program. "Waaaiiit..." : - Rom, about not wanting Leeta to leave the station. Background Information *This is the first appearance of Dr. Lewis Zimmerman (Robert Picardo), the creator of the Emergency Medical Hologram as a "real" person on any Star Trek series, having previously appeared as a hologram on the Star Trek: Voyager episodes "Projections" and "The Swarm". He would appear again in VOY: "Life Line". * When Admiral Bennett reminds Bashir of the risks of genetic engineering by referencing the Eugenics Wars, he referred to it as having occured "two hundred years ago." However, established continuity suggests that he is about 200 years off. Ronald D. Moore comments: "This is my personal screw-up. When I was writing that speech, I was thinking about Khan and somehow his dialog from "Wrath" starting floating through my brain: "On Earth... 200 years ago... I was a Prince..." The number 200 just stuck in my head and I put it in the script without making the necessary adjustment for the fact that "Wrath" took place almost a hundred years prior to "Dr. Bashir." I wrote it, I get the blame." http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/6952/ron5.txt Of course, one explanation is that Admiral Bennett himself got the date wrong. * According to Chase Masterson, on an outtake of the scene where Dr. Zimmerman boards his transport and propositions an alien woman, Robert Picardo changed his lines to "Have you ever seen my role on Star Trek: Voyager?" Links and References Guest Stars *Brian George as Richard Bashir *Max Grodénchik as Rom *Chase Masterson as Leeta *Fadwa El Guindi as Amsha Bashir *J. Patrick McCormack as Bennett Special Guest Appearance By *Robert Picardo as **Lewis Zimmerman **Emergency Medical Holographic program Co-Starring *Mark Allen Shepherd as Morn (uncredited) References accelerated critical neural pathway formation; Adigeon Prime; Antidean transport; argonite; Bajoran interceptor; Bolians; cat; cerebral cortex; Dabo; Dabo girl; Danube class; darts; dog; dom-jot; Earth; Emergency Medical Hologram; ''Excelsior''-class; Eugenics Wars; Federation Supreme Court; frontier medicine; ganglionic cell cluster; health certificate; holo-communicator; Judge Advocate General; Jupiter Station; intelligence quotient; Kama Sutra; landscape architecture; level 3 diagnostic; Long-term Medical Holographic program Test Program 1; Long-term Medical Holographic program; ''Miranda''-class; O'Brien, Molly; Nagus; ''Nebula''-class; New Zealand; Nog; parts per million; penal colony; prayko; Prinadora; prion; pyschological profile; Rear Admiral; replicator; Singh, Khan Noonien; Starfleet; Starfleet Headquarters; Starfleet Medical; steward; tree; ''Trial'', USS; ''Venture'', USS; Vulcan Love Slave, Part II: The Revenge; Work Bee; ''Yeager''-type. |next= }} Category:DS9 episodes de:Dr. Bashirs Geheimnis es:Doctor Bashir, I Presume nl:Doctor Bashir, I Presume?